We bought Jersey lily bulbs on one of our now far distant holidays in Jersey, but they have never flowered, despite being kept in the greenhouse. OH emptied the pot yesterday, and found it packed with bulbs. He has been on the internet, but there is little information on them, we would like them to flower. Our nerines, which were bought in Guernsey flower each year, so why doesn't the Jersey lily?

If any one grows them to flowering, I would be interested to know the area where they are grown in, and the type of soil.

If my memory serves me correctly (which it does not always) these plants do not originate from Jersey but from South Africa so need lots of sun in order to flower and poor soil with plenty of grit. We grew them in a pot in the conservatory and they smell lovely.

I looked up Jersey Lily and it is originally a South African species native to Cape Province called Amaryllis belladonna. It helps to know where it came from and its local habitat to be able to understand the required growing conditions:

In South Africa the plants are found growing among rocks

Amaryllis bulbs require little watering and are drought tolerant.

So - what potting media have you used, and how much watering? I'd have thought it would need a well drained media, and minimal watering. Like cacti, when well looked after, they have no need to flower - but if water supply is restricted, a plant survival technique is to produce seeds for the next generation in case the "drought" goes on for too long. This usually encourages flowers.

CultivationPlant bulbs only just below the soil surface, when dormant, in moderately fertile, light, free-draining soil; extra grit can be added to improve drainage. Will do best when baked in full sun and with shelter from harsh frosts

Trev62 wrote:If my memory serves me correctly (which it does not always) these plants do not originate from Jersey but from South Africa so need lots of sun in order to flower and poor soil with plenty of grit. We grew them in a pot in the conservatory and they smell lovely.

Apologies for not replaying to your posts sooner folks, and thank you for the advice. OH says he planted the bulbs in potting compost. We think we bought one or two originally, and there are now twelve or more. He is repotting them in garden compost, loam and grit. They have been in the greenhouse all this time.

Hello Guys, Found these procedures on how to grow Jersey Lily. Any thoughts?

Guernsey, Jersey lily, and other Nerine members can be grown from seeds or bulbs. The bulbs should be planted about 10 to 15 cm deep and about 12 to 20 cm apart at the start of autumn. Nerine seeds should be sown on the surface using fresh seed as soon as it is produced in the autumn.Nerines can grow in sunny or lightly shaded areas that have good drainage, though the soil should be kept moist.If starting indoors then sow Guernsey lily seeds using fresh seed as soon as available, it will take around two to three weeks to germinate at 18 to 21 degrees centigrade.Once growing well, transplant the Nerine seedlings into the garden the following spring after the last frost. It should take about five years until seed grown Guernsey lilies produce flowers.